Argyll_Printer_Profiler.command — User Guide

Version: 1.0
Platform: macOS
Based on: Simple script by Jintak Han (https://github.com/jintakhan/AutomatedArgyllPrinter)
Author: Knut Larsson

Argyll_Printer_Profiler.command is an interactive Bash script that automates a complete ArgyllCMS printer profiling workflow on macOS, from target generation to ICC installation.

📑 Table of Contents

Overview
Requirements
Installation on macOS
Setup File: Argyll_Printer_Profiler_setup.ini
General Workflow
Main Menu Actions Explained
Files and Folder Structure
ArgyllCMS Commands and Defaults
ICC Profile Installation
Logs and Debugging
Important Notes and Best Practices
Troubleshooting

Overview

This script provides a guided, menu-driven interface for creating printer ICC profiles using ArgyllCMS. It is designed for:

Inkjet and laser printers
X-Rite ColorMunki / i1Studio and compatible instruments
Users who want reproducible, well-documented profiles without memorizing ArgyllCMS commands

The script:

Generates optimized color targets
Assists with printing targets correctly
Reads measurements
Builds ICC profiles
Performs sanity checks
Installs profiles into macOS local profiles folder

Requirements

macOS 10.13 or later (Intel or Apple Silicon)
ArgyllCMS installed and available in Terminal (checked by script)
Supported measurement device (ColorMunki, i1Pro, etc.)
Terminal access
ColorSync Utility (included with macOS)

Installation on macOS

ArgyllCMS Installation

The recommended way is Homebrew:

brew install argyll-cms

Verify installation:

targen -?

Script Placement

You may place Argyll_Printer_Profiler.command in any folder:

Desktop
Documents
External drive
Project-specific folder

All generated files are stored relative to the script’s location.

Execution Permissions (Important)

On modern macOS versions, a script must have the execute bit set.

Open Terminal
Navigate to the script folder
Run:

chmod +x Argyll_Printer_Profiler.command

Verify:

ls -l Argyll_Printer_Profiler.command

Expected output:

-rwxr-xr-x@ Argyll_Printer_Profiler.command

You can now run the script by:

Double-clicking it in Finder
Or running ./Argyll_Printer_Profiler.command from Terminal

Setup File: Argyll_Printer_Profiler_setup.ini

The setup file must be located in the same folder as the script:

Argyll_Printer_Profiler.command
Argyll_Printer_Profiler_setup.ini

Key Parameters

PRINTER_ICC_PATH Path to the RGB/CMYK colorspace profile used as reference (e.g. sRGB, AdobeRGB).
PRINTER_PROFILES_PATH Destination folder for installed ICC profiles Example (recommended): $HOME/Library/ColorSync/Profiles
STRIP_PATCH_CONSISTENSY_TOLERANCE Used by chartread -T Default recommendation: 0.6
INK_LIMIT Total ink limit used by targen and colprof

Typical values:
- Inkjet: 220–300
- Laser: 180–260
PAPER_SIZE A4 or Letter
PROFILE_SMOOTING Argument -r in colprof average deviation, affecting accuracy and smooting of profile. Argyll-default 0.5. 1.0 makes smoother profile without much reduction in accuracy.
TARGET_RESOLUTION DPI for generated TIFF targets

The script validates that all required parameters exist before running.

General Workflow

Choose an action from the main menu
Specify or select a profile name
Generate or reuse color targets
Print targets with no color management
Measure patches with the instrument
Create ICC profile
Perform sanity check
Install profile into local profiles folder

1. Create printer profile from scratch

Define profile name
Generate new targets (menu-selected)
Measure patches
Create ICC profile
Sanity check
Install profile into local profile folder

2. Re-read or resume partly read chart

Continue from an existing .ti3. Useful if measurement was interrupted
Measure patches
Create new or overwrite existing profile ti3/icc
Sanity check
Install profile into local profile folder

3. Create profile from existing `.ti2`

Reuse printed targets
Measure again
Create new or overwrite existing profile ti3/icc
Sanity check
Install profile into local profile folder

4. Create profile from existing `.ti3`

Skip measurement
Direct ICC generation in selected folder
- Make sure .ti3 file selected has unique name.
- Overwrites existing .icc with same name, if exists
Sanity check
Install profile into local profile folder

5. Perform sanity check only

Runs profcheck on existing .ti3 + .icc
File created is named: profile name + _sanity_check.txt
If run several times, results are appended into same file.

6. Change setup parameters

Edit selected values in the .ini file interactively

Files and Folder Structure

For each profile, a dedicated folder is created:

Folder Created_Profiles is created if missing.

Script_Location
└── Created_Profiles/
    └── ProfileName/
        ├── ProfileName.ti1
        ├── ProfileName.ti2
        ├── ProfileName.ti3
        ├── ProfileName.tif / _01.tif / _02.tif
        ├── ProfileName.icc
        ├── ProfileName_sanity_check.txt
        └── Argyll_Printer_Profiler_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.log

All work is performed inside this folder once created.

ArgyllCMS Commands and Defaults

targen

Used to generate color values:

Device class: Printer (-d2)
Includes gray ramp, black & white patches
Ink limit from setup file
Patch count selected interactively

printtarg

Instrument-specific layout
User-selected paper size
Resolution from setup file
Optimized for ColorMunki/i1Studio

chartread

Strip reading mode
Consistency tolerance: -T
Resume supported

colprof

High quality (-qh)
PCS reference profile via -S
Perceptual intent (-dpp)
Uses measurement-defined ink limit

profcheck

Generates human-readable sanity check
Flags excessive ΔE values

ICC Profile Installation

After successful creation:

.icc file is copied to PRINTER_PROFILES_PATH
Typically:
```
~/Library/ColorSync/Profiles
```

macOS applications must be restarted to see the new profile.

Logs and Debugging

A timestamped log file is created at script start
Log is automatically moved into the profile folder
All stdout/stderr is captured

Log files are essential for:

Diagnosing ArgyllCMS errors
Reproducing command lines
Support requests

Important Notes and Best Practices

Always print targets with Color Management disabled
Use consistent paper, ink, and printer settings
Use same basename for all files, as script does.
Keep profile names free of trailing whitespace
Large targets improve neutrality and gray accuracy

Troubleshooting

Script won’t run

Ensure execute bit is set (chmod +x)
macOS Gatekeeper may require right-click → Open

ICC not copied

Ensure PRINTER_PROFILES_PATH is an absolute path
Do not use ~ unless expanded to $HOME

colprof gray-axis errors

Check measurement quality
Reduce profile quality (-qm)
Increase target size
Re-measure gray patches

End of documentation.